TRAINING FOR THE DECATHLON DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING FOR THE DECATHLON 1. What is the Decathlon (Overview) The decathlon consists of ten track & field events that are contested over a two day period. The competition is separated into two days of competition. The first day consists of the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters in that order. The second day includes the 110 meter high hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 meter run. The second day is always the most demanding because it is the most technical day and the athlete is tired from the first days events. The decathlon does not really start until the second day because any good athlete can do well on the first day but only a decathlete can do well over two days. The second day separates the men from the boys. The multi event athlete must possess or attain the following characteristics in order to be successful: 1.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH (Power) -Work per unit time (anaerobic strength) EXAMPLES: Weight training (4x5 reps), Multi throws, Medicine Ball, Multi Jumps (Plyos) 2. MUSCULAR ENDURANCE -The ability to sustain muscular contraction over a period of time (sustained aerobic work) EXAMPLES: Weight training (3x12 reps), Circuit training, repeat stairs, repeat hills, 10x200m 3. CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE -Efficient utilization of oxygen over a sustained period of time. EXAMPLES: 3 mile runs, 4x800 meters, 8x400 meters 4. FLEXIBILITY -Enables the body's lever system to apply force over an increased range of motion. Athletic performance will be enhanced, plus the incidence of injury will be reduced. EXAMPLES: Proprioceptive Neurological Facilitation (PNF), Dynamic stretches, Sprint drills 5. NEUROMUSCULAR (Technique) -The coordination of specific movements into a motor pattern to enhance the body's ability to efficiently apply force.

This aspect is the most important to an athlete because without technique there is no performance. This part of the athlete takes the longest to train and should have the first priority of the beginning decathlete. 6. PSYCHOLOGICAL -An on-going positive mental outlook, which includes discipline, determination, aggressiveness, desire, perseverance, and positive self-image. You can have all of the above listed qualities (1-5) but if you are not mentally committed you will have a short career. I have come across many better natural athletes than me over the years but I have beaten the majority (99%) of them because they have lacked the desire to be great. 2. How to train the beginning Decathlete As I stated above, technique is the most important thing the young decathlete should concentrate on. It does no good to be strong, fast and have great jumping ability if you do not know how to use it. I would strongly suggest starting to learn the second days techniques on a 2-1 ratio with the first days techniques. The hurdles, discus and pole vault are the three events that have the most effect on the other events as explained below.

HURDLES The hurdles directly help the decathlete in the 100 meters by developing a consistent stride pattern between and over each hurdle. The hurdles are essentially ten mini sprints to each hurdle. It also reinforces proper running technique by teaching the athlete to run tall with proper posture. Hurdles and hurdle drills also help develop the hip flexor muscles along with the hamstrings and glutes. These muscles are the most important in sprint development. The hurdles help the long jump by teaching the athlete how to sprint correctly with a rhythmic stride pattern. It also helps the athlete learn how to set up for a take off with minimal deceleration. By learning how to run through a hurdle you will know how to run off the long jump board. Hurdle endurance runs (4x12 hurdles) will help the 400 meters in the same way by developing speed endurance. The hurdles help the pole vault in the same exact way that they helped the long jump.

The hurdles have an effect on 5 of the 10 decathlon events (l00m, LJ, 400m, 110m HH and PV), so I feel it would be a wise investment in time to master that event first off. DISCUS The discus is a difficult event because spinning is not involved in any of our childhood games. The is a technique that must be learned at a late age. The discus is the event where the most is lost in any competition. But by learning the fundamentals early, the athlete will have learned balance, coordination, patience and foot work and most importantly have confidence that he will not be the one looking stupid throwing it. POLE VAULT The pole vault has the same effect as the hurdles in that it helps the same 5 events and some of the discus. It involves sprinting; jumping off the ground; strength to plant the pole, hold on to it and rock back. All the while demanding that the athlete use patience, timing, coordination, body awareness. By knowing how to vault properly, the athlete will have confidence that will carry over into his other events. In short, if you can pole vault effectively you are on your way to learning the rest.

The hurdles, discus and pole vault should always be the core to the multi event training schedule. Everything else should fit around it. 3. What things should a beginning decathlete do to develop? There are many different things a decathlete needs to do. 1xPER WEEK GYMNASTIC CIRCUIT (Wall rack, rings, pulley, swing rope, high bar, trampoline) 2xPER WEEK WEIGHT TRAINING CIRCUIT (Inclines, cleans, lunges, step-ups, squats, etc.) 1xPER WEEK SPEED ENDURANCE TRAINING (10x200m w/ 3 min. rec.) 2xPER WEEK SPEED TRAINING / HURDLES 1xPER WEEK HIGH JUMP/ LONG JUMP/ PLYOS (alt. leg, double leg jumps) 2xPER WEEK POLE VAULT (including competitions) Keep sessions under 15 full jumps.

2xPER WEEK DISCUS 2xPER WEEK CARDIOVASCULAR (3 mile run one day, 5x600 meters the other) 1xPER WEEK MEDICINE BALL TRAINING 2xPER WEEK (SPRINT DRILLS) This sounds like a lot of work and it is, but it is what it takes to get to-the top. Technique must always be the first thing done every day, since it is the most important. Conditioning is always done after technique. For the beginning decathlete I would suggest the full load of training mentioned above every other week. I would just practice the events (technique) on the odd week in order to prevent injuries and over-training. The young athlete will also have concentration lapses when the volume is too high for too long. Running technique should be the first thing taught because poor running technique will hamper every event. Sprint drills, hurdle drills and build-up runs need to be closely supervised.

SAMPLE TRAINING WEEK- HARD WEEK Monday Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Tuesday 3 miles (a.m.), Javelin, High Jump, Weight training Wednesday Shot Put, Sprint Drills, Medicine Ball, Gymnastic circuit Thursday Pole Vault, Discus, 5x600 meter repeats Friday Long Jump, Speed/Hurdles, Plyometrics Saturday Weight training, Sprint drills Sunday 10x200 meters repeats (a.m.) THE DECATHLON: A PHILOSOPHICAL OVERVIEW (A compilation of notes prepared by Rick Sloan, Fred Samara, Mike Keller, Terry Franson and Harry Marra, October, 1992 in San Francisco, California.) The decathlon is an all-encompassing event. We expect each athlete to develop their physical, as well as mental capacities in preparation for this event. To maximize one's ability in the decathlon, a long range program recognizing strengths and weaknesses is essential. Do not sacrifice strengths to develop weaknesses. "Balance" is key for success in the decathlon. Contributing factors for success in the decathlon involve development of the following components of fitness: 1.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH (Power) -Work per unit time (speed!) (anaerobic) EXAMPLES: Vertical J ump, Standing Jump, One repetition max lift, Plyometrics 2. MUSCULAR ENDURANCE -The ability to sustain muscular contraction over a period of time (sustained aerobic work) EXAMPLES: Circuit training, Body resistance exercises (repeat stairs, repeat hills), 10 x 200m -one minute rest) 3. CARDIOVASCULAR/RESPIRATORY ENDURANCE -(Aerobic Fitness) -Efficient utilization of oxygen over a sustained period of time EXAMPLES: Steady state runs (140-160 heart rate/minute) (P/R will be lower for the older athlete), Stationary/regular bike riding activity, Pool running/swimming laps, The goal here would be to improve your max VO2 4. FLEXIBILITY -Enables the body's lever system to apply force over an increased range of motion. It is most important to elevate your core body temperature prior to flexibility work (jogging, weight lifting). The component of flexibility should be incorporated in all phases of your year-round training program.

Initial stretching should be of a static or slow tension nature. Athletic performance will be enhanced, plus the incidence of injury will be reduced with a comprehensive flexibility program. EXAMPLE: Proprioceptive Neurological Facilitation (PNF), Normal stretching exercises 5. NEUROMUSCULAR (Technique) -The coordination of specific movements into a motor pattern to enhance the body's ability to efficiently apply force. EXAMPLE: All technical aspects of the decathlon, such as running, jumping and throwing mechanics 6. PSYCHOLOGICAL -An on-going positive mental outlook, which includes such factors as discipline, determination, aggressiveness, desire, perseverance, and a positive self-image. While the physical components outlined above are important to success in the decathlon, failure to adhere to the psychological aspects will greatly diminish your ability to perform. Stress is the "11th" event of the Decathlon. Dealing with it properly can ensure that you will have success. OUTLINE OF A GENERAL DECATHLON TRAINING PLAN PHASE FITNESS PARAMETER % OF WORK LOAD I.

General Conditioning-- October 1 through mid-November (6 weeks) Muscular endurance and Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance (CVE) 85% IV (b) Competitive season Mid-June through September 1 (12 weeks) The post championship phase of the competitive season should be a microcosm of the annual training cycle. The length of each of these phases should be determined by the length of time prior to the next Decathlon, and an evaluation of performance there. V Post-competitive season (Month of Sept) (4 weeks) This is a period of time to both mentally and physically recover from the entire (Rest and/or active rest) FUNDAMENTAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE FOLLOWING EVENT GROUPS A. THROWS: "Balance" is a key word. Without proper balance at the start, and throughout delivery , all other aspects of throwing are negatively affected. Once balance is achieved, the following aspects are germane to success in the throws: 1. Positive Acceleration -Followed by the sequential deceleration of body segments. (Blocking) 2. Posture -The center of gravity (CG) is functionally lowered through ankle, knee and hip flexion as opposed to think flexion. 3.

Acceleration of the Implement -Through a full range of motion over the shortest time possible. 4. Patience -There is a difference between being quick and being in a hurry! Remain rhythmical and patient at the start of each effort. 5. Relaxation -A relaxed effort produces greater force and velocity. 6. Starting Positions -Fundamental in all throwing events. An efficient starting position incorporates all of the previously mentioned parameters (1-5) and is essential for the correct initiation of movement patterns. B. JUMPS: (The following similarities deal specifically with the approach and preparation for take off.) 1. Approach -A successful jump is predicated on a consistent, uniformly accelerated approach. a. Length -the length of the-approach is determined by the acceleration pattern and where the athlete achieves maximum controllable speed. a. Posture -Erect and tall from head to toe. Must be maintained throughout the run. b. Turnover- To minimize reduction in velocity, you should emphasize stride frequency over length during tile final stages of sprint races (key word -'active') c. Rhythm and Relaxation -"Don't be in a hurry!" Smoothly complete all movements to generate maximum force.

Special emphasis should be placed on rhythm and relaxation during the latter stages of all sprints. d. Acceleration Patterns -(acceleration -speed -maintenance - deceleration) Each sprint encompasses the above phases (a-c) to varying degrees. To optimize performance, a smooth transition through each phase is required. Conditioning, running, mechanics and relaxation assist in minimizing tile extent of deceleration. D. 1500 METERS: Posture, rhythm, relaxation and tempo (turnover) are important factors for successful 1500m running. Differences such as lower knee lift, increased surface area contact with the foot, shorter stride length and more limited arm movements are necessary for efficient management of the race. Rhythm. posture and tempo are interdependent and critical to the success of the race . Final acceleration (finishing sprint) is addressed y first increasing tempo (stride frequency) and ultimately is combined with stride length. E. CLOSING STATEMENT: In the process of changing motor patterns, one must accept the fact that there will be initial regression in performance level. You must be willing to remain motivated. focused and look at the "big picture". Each of you has the ability to improve upon your performances. Keep an open mind.

MANAGEMENT OF A DECATHLON A decathlete can have all of the skills to perform well, but if he mismanaged his final weeks of preparation and the competition itself, he will experience a poor performance. Some of the concerns that need to be addressed are as follows: 1. I need to 'test' my physical and technical skills a couple of days prior to the meet to make sure I am ready to go." 2. Rest -What is it? How much? Active rest? 3. Diet/Carbos/Fluid Intake 4. Changing format of training at the last moment. 5. Warm-up: D. During and between events E. Cooling down after day one -extensive 6. Post-Decathlon recovery period -How To 7. Day/Morning of competition management A. Waking up B. Eating -when, how much, what C. Getting to site/stadium D. Packing bag/equipment the night prior to the competition E. Clothing/fluids/hat, etc. 8. Developing the ability to address yourself to the problem (event) at hand. (i.e., mental focus -punch in/punch out in each event) 9.

Establish Long Jump/High Jump/Pole Vault marks as soon as you arrive to the stadium each day. 10.Intentional fouls! 11.The 30 minutes between events if to be considered "preparation time"and not rest time. COMPETITIONS: Planning your competitive decathlon season needs to be done early in the year and be very carefully thought through. It is strongly recommended that you do one full decathlon prior to the Championships and then expectto do one to two decathlons post Championships. You should strongly consider using ther meets to compete in to improve upon your weak events. FROM: Proceedings of the International Track & Field Coaches Association Best Decathlon Resources by Event . Decathlon | iaaf.org Decathlon Decathlon How it works This is the men’s ultimate all-round test, a 10-event contest covering the whole range of athletics disciplines spread over two days. Competitors earn points for their performance in each discipline and the overall winner is the man who accrues the most points. The first day consists of (in order): 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m.

The second day’s events are 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m. History The forerunner of the modern decathlon was the pentathlon, a regular feature of the Ancient Olympics that comprised the long jump, discus, javelin, sprint and wrestling. Various versions of the event re-emerged in the 19th century to determine all-around prowess and a combined events competition was held at the 1904 Olympic Games. But the first decathlon that resembles the current format was held in 1911, with the inaugural Olympic Games decathlon – famously won by the legendary Jim Thorpe – taking place a year later in Stockholm. There is also an official world record for the women's decathlon but this is not contested at major championships. Did you know The scoring tables that determine how a many points a performance is worth have actually been adjusted six times since they were established in 1912, because of athletes' ever-improving abilities, equipment changes and to equate the events more accurately.

The changes happened in 1920, 1934, 1950, 1962, 1977 (to take account of the growing use of electronic timing) and, most recently, 1985. Gold standard Ashton Eaton's victory at the 2012 Olympics was the 13th decathlon gold medal for the USA, who have been the most dominant nation in the event by a long way as no other country has won more than two gold medals. In similar fashion, the USA has been the most successful nation at the IAAF World Championships with nine gold medals in 15 editions. Rico Freimuth in the decathlon discus at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (Getty Images) © Copyright Icons Bob Mathias Mathias was just 17 when he won the Olympic title in 1948, and he still remains the youngest ever winner of an Olympic decathlon medal.

Four years later in Helsinki, after setting his first world record in 1950, he won by the astonishing margin of 912 points with a world record tally of 7887 to become the first man to successfully defend an Olympic decathlon title. Later in life, he became a successful politician and served eight years as a congressman in the US House of Representatives. He died in 2006 at the age of 75. Decathlon men Outdoor All time 1 Decathlon women Outdoor All time 1 Decathlon: the Art of Scoring Points : nrich.maths.org STEM students at university often encounter mathematical difficulties. This articles highlights the various content problems and the 7 key process problems encountered by STEM students. Decathlon: the Art of Scoring Points Stage: 3, 4 and 5 Article by Professor John Barrow Published June 2012. The decathlon consists of ten track and field events spread over two days. It is the most physically demanding event for athletes. On day one, the 100m, long jump, shot putt, high jump and 400m are contested.

On day two, the competitors face the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and, finally, the 1500m. In order to combine the results of these very different events - some give times and some give distances - a points system has been developed. Each performance is awarded a predetermined number of points according to a set of performance tables. These are added, event by event, and the winner is the athlete with the highest points total after ten events. The women's heptathlon works in exactly the same way but with three fewer events (100m hurdles, high jump, shot, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m). The most striking thing about the decathlon is that the tables giving the number of points awarded for different performances are rather free inventions. Someone decided them first back in 1912 and they have subsequently been updated on different occasions, taking into account performances in all the events by decathletes and specialist competitors. Clearly, working out the fairest points allocation for any running, jumping or throwing performance is crucial and defines the whole nature of the event very sensitively.

Britain's Daley Thompson missed breaking the decathlon world record by one point when he won the Olympic Games 1984 but a revision of the scoring tables the following year increased his score slightly and he became the new world record holder retrospectively! The current world record is 9026 points set by Roman Šebrle of the Czech Republic in 2001. For comparison, if you broke the world record in each of the ten individual decathlon events you would score about 12,500 points! The best ten performances ever achieved by anyone during decathlon competitions sum up to a total score of 10,485. Originally, the points tables were set up so that (approximately) 1000 points would be scored by the world record for each event at the time. But records move on and now, for example, Usain Bolt's world 100m record of 9.58s would score him 1202 decathlon points whereas the fastest 100m ever run in a decathlon is 'only' 10.22s for a points score of 1042.

The current world record that would score the highest of all in a decathlon is Jürgen Schult's discus record of 74.08m, which accumulates 1383 points. All of this suggests some important questions that bring mathematics into play. What would happen if the points tables were changed? What events repay your training investment with the greatest points payoff? And what sort of athlete is going to do best in the decathlon - a runner, a thrower or a jumper? The decathlon events fall into two categories: running events where the aim is to record the least possible time and throwing or jumping events where the aim is to record the greatest possible distance. The simplest way of scoring this would be record all the throws and jumps distances in metres, multiply them together and then multiply all the running times in seconds together and divide the product of the throws and jumps by the product of the running times, T.

The Special Total that results will have units of $(\mathrm{length})^6 \div (\mathrm{time})^4 = \mathrm{m}^6/\rm{s}^4$ and spelt out in full it looks like this: $$\mbox{Special Total, ST} = \frac{\mathrm{LJ} \times \mathrm{HJ} \times \mathrm{PV} \times \mathrm{JT} \times \mathrm{DT} \times \mathrm{SP}}{T(100\mathrm{m}) \times T(400\mathrm{m}) \times T(110\mathrm{mH}) \times T(1500\mathrm{m})}$$ If we take the two best ever decathlon performances by Šebrle (9026 pts) and Dvořák (8994 pts) and work out the Special Totals for the 10 performances they each produced then we get Šebrle (9026 pts): ST = 2.29 Dvořák (8994 pts): ST = 2.40 Interestingly, we see that the second

 best performance by Dvořák becomes the best using this new scoring system.

In fact, our new scoring system is not a good one. It contains some biases. Since the distances attained and the times recorded are different for the various events you can make a bigger change to the ST score for the same effort. An improvement in the 100m by from 10.6s to 10.5s requires considerable improvement but you don’t get much of a reward for it in the ST score. By contrast reducing a slow 1500m run by 10 seconds has a big impact. The events with the room for larger changes have bigger effects on the total. The actual scoring points tables that are used incorporate far more information about comparable athletic performances than the simple ST formula we have invented. The setting of the points tables that are used in practice is a technical business that has evolved over a long period of time and pays attention to world records, the standards of the top ranked athletes, and historical decathlon performances. However, ultimately it is a human choice and if a different choice was made then different points would be received for the same athletic performances and the medallists in the Olympic Games might be different.

The 2001 IAAF scoring tables have the following simple mathematical structure: The points awarded (decimals are rounded to the nearest whole number to avoid fractional points) in each track event - where you want to give higher points for shorter times (T) are given by the formula $$\mbox{Track event points} = \rm{A} \times (\rm{B} - \rm{T})^\rm{C},$$ where T is the time recorded by the athlete in a track event and A, B and C are numbers chosen for each event so as to calibrate the points awarded in an equitable way. The quantity B gives the cut-off time at and above which you will score zero points and T is always less than B in practice -- unless someone falls over and crawls to the finish! For the jumps and throws - where you want to give more points for greater distances (D) - the points formula for each event is $$\mbox{Field event points} = \rm{A} \times (\rm{D} - \rm{B})^\rm{C}$$ The three numbers A, B and C are chosen differently for each of the ten events and are shown in this table.

You score zero points for a distance equal to or less than B. The distances here are all in metres and the times in seconds. Most importantly, the points achieved for each of the 10 events are then added together to give the total score. In our experimental ST scoring scheme above they were multiplied together. You could have added all the distance and all the times before dividing one total by the other though. Decathlon - List of Sports List of Sports Leave a comment College decathlete competitors pose at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin (from ???? deka [ten] and ????? athlos [contest]). Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not by the position achieved. The decathlon is contested mainly by male athletes, while female athletes typically compete in the heptathlon . Traditionally, the title of “World’s Greatest Athlete” has been given to the man who wins the decathlon.

This began when King Gustav V of Sweden told Jim Thorpe , “You, sir, are the world’s greatest athlete” after Thorpe won the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. The current holder of the title is American Bryan Clay , the gold medal winner of the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , who took the title from Athens Olympics Czech champion Roman Šebrle . The event developed from the ancient pentathlon . Pentathlon competitions were held at the ancient Greek Olympics . Pentathlons involved five disciplines – long jump , discus throw , javelin throw , sprint and a wrestling match. [4] Introduced in Olympia during 708 BC, the competition was extremely popular for many centuries. By the 6th century BC, pentathlons had become part of religious games. The Amateur Athletic Union held “all around events” from the 1880s and a decathlon first appeared on the Olympic athletics program at the 1904 Games . Format Men’s decathlon The vast majority of international and top level men’s decathlons are divided in to a two-day competition, with the track and field events held in the order below.

Traditionally, all decathletes who finished the event do a round of honour together after the competition, rather than just the winner or medalling athletes. Day 1 1500 metres Women’s decathlon At major championships, the women’s equivalent of the decathlon is the seven-event heptathlon ; prior to 1981 it was the five-event pentathlon . However, in 2001 the IAAF approved scoring tables for women’s decathlon; the current world record holder is Austra Skujyt? of Lithuania . Women’s disciplines differ from men’s in the same way as for standalone events: the shot, discus and javelin weigh less, and the sprint hurdles uses lower hurdles over 100 m rather than 110 m. The points tables used are the same as for the heptathlon in the shared events. The schedule of events differs from the men’s decathlon, with the field events switched between day one and day two; this is to avoid scheduling conflicts when men’s and women’s decathlon competitions take place simultaneously.

Day 1 Mental Traits Required for Competition in the Decathlon and Heptathlon - Complete Track and Field Home / Mental Traits Required for Competition in the Decathlon and Heptathlon Mental Traits Required for Competition in the Decathlon and Heptathlon Casey D. Thom- MSS, CSCS The multi-events are perhaps the most demanding events in track and field. Each event takes place over two days. The decathlon requires men to compete in ten events testing different physical skills, while the women compete in the heptathlon in which they contest seven events. Speed, strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance are all necessary for success in the multi-events, but can an athlete get by with just physical talent? In an event that requires athletes to channel their emotions into peak performances several times in different events over two days it seems that athletes’ mental skills such as relaxation and concentration would also play a large part in an athlete’s success in a multi-event competition. This paper will explore a variety of mental skills and how they can be implemented into a multi-events training to improve an athlete’s performance. The mental skills that will be discussed are arousal control, confidence, visualization training, and relaxation.

After discussing the demands of the decathlon, and each of these mental skills, an evaluation will be made of how, where and to what degree these skills fit into the decathlon program. What is the decathlon? It is a competition in which athletes compete in ten different track and field events and amass points for their performance in each event. It takes place over two days. During the first day the 100 meter dash, the long jump, the shot put, the high jump, and the 400 meter dash are all contested. The second day the 110 meter hurdles, the discus, the pole vault, the javelin, and the 1500 meter run are contested. The heptathlon is also contested over two day, but involves only the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters the first day, and the long jump, javelin, and 800 meters the second day. Both of these events require athletes to maintain high levels of physical performance, and mental concentration over a two day period and are therefore extremely mentally and physically challenging.

To be a top notch heptathlete a woman must according to Rovelto, “…adopt a lifestyle that allows her to develop psychologically and physically. The heptathlete must be dedicated, determined, and possess great desire. Physically she must concurrently develop all the biomotor abilities: speed, strength, stamina, skill, and suppleness.” Here we find similarities to the demands that a decathlete faces. A decathlete must possess muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, ability to learn technique, and must be strong psychologically (Blockburger, 2003, 1). You might notice the emphasis made by each of these two men on the necessity of psychological strength for both heptathletes and decathletes. McGuire and Rovelto (2003) suggest that each event requires a different amount of arousal, but suggest relaxation and refocusing techniques between events should be similar.

They suggest that each athlete needs to find what ever particular level of arousal is best for peak performance for themselves, but suggest moderate levels of arousal for the warm-up and 800meters, high levels of arousal in the 100 meter hurdles, high jump, and javelin, and very high states of arousal for the shot put, long jump, and 200 meters in the Heptathlon, with corresponding events for men being treated in a similar manner. For example men’s 1500 meter run is most closely matched with the women’s 800 meter run. Both of these events require continuous energy output for longer periods of time, so a moderate arousal state in most cases would be the most beneficial. Weinberg and Gould (2003) suggest that arousal has both psychological and physiological aspects, and can range from no arousal (comatose) to highly aroused (frenzied). With high arousal an increased heart rate, respiration, and sweating can be found. These states are not necessarily associated with positive or negative events.

Weinberg and Gould give the examples of the fact that a pleasant event winning $10 million dollars might create a high level of arousal; where as an unpleasant event like learning about the death of a loved one would also likely create high levels of arousal. Bruce Jenner, Olympic decathlon champion in 1976, would become very anxious before competitions. He would experience an increased heartbeat, tremors, rapid breathing, increased sweating etc. often before a decathlon. At first he took these as signs of nervousness and felt that this meant that he would do poorly, which became a self fulfilling prophecy. However, over his years of competition he learned to channel that anxiety into a sign of readiness for competition, and whenever he would experience an increased heartbeat or tremors he would just consider it a sign of readiness for competition (Ungerleider, 1996). Achieving the optimal level of arousal for peak performance requires a mix of relaxation, confidence, and anxiety control. However, there must also be a level of energy involved. Athletes need to find the appropriate mix of relaxation and stimulation to achieve optimal performance (Jackson, 1992).

As previously stated this is particularly challenging for multi-event athletes, because they have to find this appropriate balance for not just one event but for ten in the case of a decathlete, and seven events for heptathletes. Dean Macey the great British decathlete who just missed out on the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sidney describes his routine to motivate himself for the 100 meters as “harnessing” his nervous energy to make sure that he doesn’t use too much too early and burn out. Then he spends sometime listening to aggressive music on his walkman to raise his arousal to the appropriate level. Tom Pappas, the 2003 world champion is the decathlon, is known for his laid back attitude during even the biggest competitions, while Roman Serble the world record holder and only man in history to surpass 9000 points in a decathlon is known for his high emotion during competition (Smith, 2004). This further goes to show that each athlete has to find the most appropriate arousal level for themselves.

Frye (2000) suggest that for the short sprints (the 100 meters in the decathlon and the 200 meters in the heptathlon) the most important psychological trait for success is confidence, and this can be achieved by being well prepared, setting realistic goals, and visualizing correct technique. Although this does not suggest any particular level of arousal for success in these events, it does give an athlete the means of discovering their own most appropriate level of arousal. This strategy can be used not only just for the short sprints, but also for all the other events in a multi-event competition. One of the main ingredients in Frye’s recipe for success is confidence. Confidence in an athlete can be greatly aided by giving an athlete the perception of control. This sense of control can come by decreasing the amount of uncertainty an athlete has proceeding an event. Uncertainty can be decreased by adequate preparation and control of anxiety. Confidence has been known to arouse positive emotions helping athletes stay calm under pressure. It has also been known to help facilitate concentration, challenge to set higher goals, and allows athletes to give a greater effort (Weinberg & Gould, 2003).

All of these things would be greatly beneficial to the success of a multi-event athlete. However, there are two major pitfalls athletes can fall into related to confidence. These are overconfidence, and allowing other peoples performance to dictate your worth as a performer, often leading to underconfidence. Overconfidence is when an athlete believes that they have greater abilities than they actually do, or underestimates an opponent. The main problem athletes face when they believe that they have greater abilities than they actually do are discouragement issues that carry with the athlete into later events. In the multi-events underestimating an opponent is less of a problem since athletes with the right mind set will be competing against themselves rather the rest of the field, however this can disastrous in two events in particular, where gauging your performance on your opponent is necessary. These two events are the 1500 meters and the 400 meters or the 800 meters for heptathletes. If an athlete believes an opponent is less skilled than he or she actually is this might lead an athlete to go out to fast and create a situation where the athlete “dies” at the end of the race costing the athlete seconds which would give them valuable points.

This can also occur when an athlete overestimates his or her own ability and goes out to hard. Conversely, if an athlete underestimates their own ability or overestimates an opponent this can lead to running a slower race than desired also costing the athlete valuable points. However, in general it is much better to be overconfident than to be underconfident. Underconfidence is often found in athletes that measure their success against others performance instead of determining a way that they can improve their own performance. This is of particular concern to athletes just starting out in the multi-events. Many of the events are very technical and if an athlete doesn’t take the time to go through the learning process, but rather tries to make quick fixes in order to keep up with the competition this can be detrimental to their overall development as a multi-event athlete. Dean Macey reiterates this fact saying that in the decathlon an athlete must, “…concentrate on what you are doing and not on anybody else.” (Macey, 2004).

Kenneth Baum (1999) restates this idea while relating the story of Dean Starkey, a pole vaulter who experience great success, but never beat Sergey Bubka, the world record holder in the pole vault. If Dean had measured his success against Sergey Bubka he might have become discouraged and gave up vaulting. However, he just focused on doing what he could do to become better, and he has had a very successful, fulfilling career. In multi-event competitions competitors are allowed 30 minutes in between events to prepare for the next event. McGuire and Rovelto (2003) believe that the time between events is as crucial as the events themselves and should be treated as an “event within the event.” They go on to suggest that this is a time for an athlete to let go of the previous events performance, whether it be positive or negative, and start to shift the focus to the next event. They suggest that after the athlete has let go of the previous event that they take five to seven minutes to calm themselves. This allows them to relax their muscles, and time to shift their mindset about up the upcoming event.

Following this period they suggest that an athlete should review their strategy for the next event. This includes how they will run a race, what bar they will open at in the high jump or pole vault etc. Then they suggest athletes review technical performance cues, and finally finish with psycho-emotional preparation. This includes reviewing what their arousal state should be for the next event, refocusing their attention, affirming that they are capable of performing desired goals, and finally putting their plan into action. This break is also a good time to practice visualization for the next event. Visualization is a key tool for many of the greats in track and field. Lee Evans relied heavily on visualization training before his Olympic victory in the 400 meters in 1968 (Baum, 1999) and Sergey Bubka spent a good deal of time doing visualization training with the Russian gymnasts who were known for their mental practice techniques (Ungerleider, 1996). But how does it work, and why is it important for a Decathlete? According to Baum (1999) every individual has two hemispheres in their brain, the right and the left, which are both in use all of the time.

The left is used for logical type processes, and the right is used for imagery. During visualization training athletes use more of their right brain creating images, but are also linking both sides of the brain using all the tools necessary to help an athlete’s performance. Researchers are also finding that during visualization training subtle but real firings of neural pathways used in the performance of the skill being visualized occur. Why would this be important to a decathlete? The first reason is that the decathlon is a very physically demanding event and requires that a great deal of time be put into practice each day. This becomes extremely physically taxing on athletes. However, if some of this practice can be done in the mind it can alleviate some of the heavy load placed on a decathlete allowing them to be fresher in subsequent training sessions. This is not to say that they should completely scrap physical training sessions. Physical training should still have a great emphasis, but multi-event athletes should look to also incorporate visualization as well. Another reason that visualization training would be beneficial to a multi-event athlete is the fact that many of the events are very technical, and visualization training would help to create a better awareness for the execution of those techniques.

Furthermore, visualization training would allow athletes to review strategy for those events that aren’t as technical like the 400 meters, or 1500 meters for decathletes, and the 800 meters for heptathletes. The combined events are unique events in track and field because they are the only events that take place over a two day period. Mcguire and Rovelto (2003) suggest that special consideration should be given to the time in between these two days of competition. They suggest that this should be a time for an athlete to process the previous events, and the day as a whole. They go onto suggest that athletes take this as a time to relax and be “away” from the competition. Athletes should have a relaxing dinner, and a nutritious breakfast, and use the warm-up time the next day to achieve the appropriate level of arousal for the next day. Relaxation seems to be the key here, but why is relaxation so important in a multi-event competition? Weinberg and Gould (2003) suggest that if individuals don’t take time to relax they will experience both physical and mental fatigue leading to burnout.

The old myth of more is better is not the case, especially with events as demanding as the decathlon and heptathlon. This is true for weekly training as well as for competition. Athletes need time to rest. This rest allows athletes to release tension, refocus their energy, and come back to the track with a feeling of freshness. Inner-event relaxation is also very important. If an athlete becomes tense and their muscles tighten up they are not working as efficiently as possible. They are more likely to “choke” or produce sub-par efforts. Dr.Patrick J. Cohn (2004) suggests a strategy to deal with this tension and stay relaxed under competitive pressure. The first step Dr. Cohn suggests is to slow down. He states that anxiety causes individuals to speed up and become tense. This leads to a decline in performance. He suggests to be very slow and calm in warm-ups and to take time to relax during competitions (between jumps, or throws etc.). The second step he suggests is to breathe deeply, because it helps to reduce muscular tension and makes it easier to focus on positive things. He suggests abdominal breathing, and also suggests that athletes practice this in their spare time. The third step to relaxation is to release tension.

He suggests using progressive muscle relaxation to accomplish this. Progressive muscle relaxation is when individual contracts a muscle and holds it contracted for approximately eight seconds then releases the muscle, which should be more relaxed then it previously was. The fourth step is to talk to yourself. All self talk should be positive, and he believes that this will help an athlete build confidence and relax. The fifth step is take excitement due to competition to your advantage. There is extra adrenaline released in competitions that allow athletes to perform better. However, they must make sure not to get over excited. Rather they should look at this excitement as a sign of readiness and use it to focus. Summaries and Conclusions From our research we have found that arousal control, confidence, visualization training, and relaxation all play different and important roles in the decathlon. Arousal control can help multi-event athletes experience success by putting them in the most appropriate level of stimulation for the particular event that they are competing in at that time. It also is useful in the conservation of nervous energy which can be advantageous to an athlete’s success if channeled properly. Confidence also is an instrumental factor in a multi-event athlete’s success. Confidence creates positive emotions in athletes and allows them to stay calm in competition.

This also helps athletes maintain their focus. Confidence can be developed through adequate preparation, and positive self-talk. However, it is important that athletes don’t become overconfident, which can lead them to be discouraged because of results that do not live up to their unrealistic expectations, or can cause athletes to underestimate opponents. It is also important that athletes do not gauge their success on other people, which can lead to underconfidence, but rather on their own personal progress. Visualization training can be of great use to decathletes and heptathletes due to its ability to allow athletes to practice skills without physical stress. Since training for the combined events is so physically challenging, any preparation that spares the body extra physical stress is highly beneficial. Visualization training is also of great importance to multi-event athletes because it creates a connection between the mind and body, and allows athletes to review technique and strategy which will make them better prepared for competition and in turn increase their confidence. Proper relaxation can play a large role in a multi-event athlete’s success due both to amount of time it takes to complete a decathlon, and to the effect it can have on performances in individual events in the heptathlon or decathlon.

Relaxation between events can help athletes calm themselves and better prepare for the next event. Relaxation between days can help maintain the energy that is essential for success in a multi-event competition, and relaxation during an event allows an athlete’s muscles to work more efficiently. In conclusion, mental skills play a very important role in an athlete’s success in the multi-events. Arousal control, confidence, visualization training, and relaxation all serve to help athletes perform better. Perhaps more coaches will start to realize the importance of mental skills and begin to put more emphasis on mental preparation. References Baum, K. (1999). The mental edge: Maximize your sports potential with the mind-boyd connection. New York, NY: Berkley Publishing Group. Blockburger, S. (2003). Development and training for the decathlon. USATF, Article Retrieved January 5, 2004, from Cohn, P. (2004). Staying relaxed under pressure. Sports Specific, Article Retrieved May 1, 2004, from Frye, C. (2000). 100 and 200 Meters.

In USA track and field coaching manual (pp.63-74). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Jackson, S. (1992). Athletes in flow: A qualitative investigation of flow states in elite figure skaters. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 7, 138-166. Macey, D. (2004). Macey goes mental. BBC, Article Retrieved May 1, 2004, from McGuire, R. & Rovelto, C. (2003). Transitional control in the combined-event. USATF, Article Retrieved May 1, 2004, from Rovelto, C. (2000). Heptathlon. In USA track and field coaching manual (pp.300-308). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Smith, G. (2004, February 16). The strange genesis of Tom Pappas. Sports Illustrated, 73-81. Ungerleider, S. (1996). Mental Training for Peak Performance. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc.

Weinberg, R. & Gould, D. (2003).Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Complete Track and Field, LLC. P.O. Box 588 Learn and talk about Decathlon, Combined track and field events, Decathlon, Endurance sports, Events in athletics (track and field) This article is about the track and field event. For other uses, see Decathlon (disambiguation) . Decathlon combines four runs, three jumps and three throws. The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin, from δέκα (déka, meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "feat"). Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not by the position achieved. [1] The decathlon is contested mainly by male athletes, while female athletes typically compete in the heptathlon .

Traditionally, the title of " World's Greatest Athlete " has been given to the person who wins the Olympic decathlon. This began when King Gustav V of Sweden told Jim Thorpe , "You, sir, are the world's greatest athlete" after Thorpe won the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. [2] The current decathlon world record holder is American Ashton Eaton , who scored 9045 points at the 2015 IAAF World Championships . [3] The event developed from the ancient pentathlon . Pentathlon competitions were held at the ancient Greek Olympics . Pentathlons involved five disciplines – long jump , discus throw , javelin throw , sprint and a wrestling match. [4] Introduced in Olympia during 708 BC, the competition was extremely popular for many centuries. By the sixth century BC, pentathlons had become part of religious games.

A ten-event competition known as the "all-around" or "all-round" championship, similar to the modern decathlon, was first contested at the United States amateur championships in 1884 and reached a consistent form by 1890; [5] [6] an all-around was held at the 1904 Summer Olympics , though whether it was an official Olympic event has been disputed. [7] The modern decathlon first appeared on the Olympic athletics program at the 1912 Games in Stockholm . [8] Contents Decathlon Sports - Decathlon Event Decathlon Sports - Decathlon Event An athletic event combining 10 track and field events contested by the male athletes in two consecutive days. The winner of the decathlon is titled the world’s greatest athlete for the year. Decathlon Decathlon sports are an ultimate test of an athlete’s speed, strength, agility and endurance. Decathlon is a two-day track and field meet that encompasses 10 individual athletic sport events -- 100-meters, 400-meters, 1500-meters, 110-meter high hurdles, javelin, discus, shot put, pole vault, high jump, and long jump.

The decathletes need to stay concentrated and focused during the entire 10 games in order to win. The decathlon is an endeavor against time, distance, fatigue and endurance. In reality, a decathlon athlete competes against himself and the scoring table. It takes what coaches refer to as ‘decathlon mentality’ – an ability to remain keyed up for each attempt or race and stay focused throughout the ten events. A decathlon athlete tries to capitalize on his strengths to maximize the total score Decathlon History Decathlon sprouted from the ancient game pentathlon. Pentathlon is a game that was played at the ancient Greek Olympics. Pentathlons involved five games – long jump, discus throw, javelin, sprint and a wrestling match. Introduced in Olympia during 708 BC, the game was extremely popular for many centuries. By the 6th century BC, pentathlons became part of religious games. Gorgos, from Elis town near Olympia was a four-time pentathlon winner during the period. Another key player was Lampis, a young Spartan who was the first Olympic winner. Automedes was also a known player of the time.

The last recorded game winner was Publius Asklepiades of Corinth in AD 241. Roman Emperor Theodosius I officially put an end to the game in AD 393 by closing down all the sanctuaries including Olympia. From the mid 1700s various versions of the game emerged. The 1948 Olympics endorsed a new implication to the game. Seventeen-year-old Mathias emerged as the then decathlon winner, banishing the myth that decathlon was a game for the old and the experienced. Mathias still remains the youngest decathlon sports champion in Olympic history. In 1964 the International Amateur Athletic Federation laid out new scoring tables and brought about some standardization in the game. The 1970s saw the game spreading to the Eastern European nations, mainly the Soviet Union, Poland and East Germany. Decathlon Sports Decathlon is essentially a male sports event. The female version is a seven-event sport called heptathlon. Decathlon sports comprise 10 events played over two days.

At a professional level, players need to score a minimum of 8000 points at a rate of 800 points per game in order to win in a decathlon. It is necessary to be comfortable while performing the event, you can find sports store for decathlon to get proper equipment. It is seldom that decathlon sports are won with a score below 8000 points. Decathlon sports attained Olympic status at the 1912 Olympic games held at Stockholm. The winner of the decathlon is titled the world’s greatest athlete for the year. Jim Thrope won the first decathlon Olympics title. The scores for each game are maintained according to the international performance table. A participant can win up to 1000 points in a particular event. The person who chalks up the highest score wins the title. Additional points are awarded each time an athlete exceeds the established world record for any category event. The Decathlon Schedule FIRST DAY – 1. 100 meter dash – Three to eight runners participate in the event which is a basic measure for leg speed. 2. Long jump – The toe board is 8-inch high. Criteria for winning are leaping ability, speed and accuracy. 3.

Shot put – The throwing circle is seven feet wide and the iron ball weighs 16-pounds. The best of three scores is considered. The event is a test of a player’s arm strength. 4. High jump – The crossbar is raised at 3 cm and the landing pit is made of foam rubber. 5. 400 meter dash – The event is a test for stamina and speed. SECOND DAY – 1. 110m Hurdles – The event is a combination of speed and agility. There are 10 hurdles, each 42 inches high, placed at 10 yards from one another. 2. Discus Throw – The discus weighs 2 kilograms and is 82.5 inches in diameter. The contestant has to throw the discus within a 40-degree sector. 3. Pole Vault - The pole is 14 to 15 feet long. Each player has to swing over a crossbar using the upper end of the pole. This is the most difficult of all events. 4. Javelin Throw - The metal spear is 8 ½ inches long and weights 800 grams. The javelin must land point first within the sector in order to qualify.

Each contestant gets three throws and the best one is taken into consideration. 5. 1500 meter run – This constitutes 3 ¾ laps around the 400-meter track. It is a test of the player’s endurance and will power. Decathlon Rules The decathlon rules differ between tournaments. Check out the rulebooks that govern the different levels in decathlon sports: International meets

Question: The decathlon is contested over how many days?
Answer: Two